Beautiful Hunter Nagi
by Al Kristopher
Summary: Journey with Nagi as she goes on amazing adventures, meets interesting people, and tries to make an honest living as the galaxy's best hunter.


Beautiful Hunter Nagi

Part of my "Farewell Tour"

By Al Kristopher

_Dedicated to Kate Zivi_

"Space… There sure is a lot of it."

"Chaaaooww!"

"Nothing," muttered Nagi, smiling softly. "I'm just thinking again. Where are

we now?" Ken-ohki told her, about an hour away still. "All right, that's good. It's like this, see, what I was talking about: this universe is just too big. Eventually, things that used to take me several hours to get to now take me days, and so forth. Pretty soon I won't even be able to visit the neighbors. I guess we have this expansion theory to blame."

"Chaa?"

"I'm just talking again," she assured him. "I'm impatient. It's been far too long since I've been given a challenge, and I have a feeling that this little trip's going to take something to finish. All those Jurai I'll get as reward will definitely compensate me and the time I spent wandering out in the middle of nowhere. Oh, and for the last time, are you sure—"

"Chaaow!"

"Just checking," she chuckled. "Sorry. Like I said, impatience. I understand. Well, I guess I'll just go and catch up on my languages again. What do they speak on Rido, again? Ridoan? Sheesh… I've heard it's a tough language."

"Chaow, chahh…"

"Thanks for the support," she smiled. "You know, Ken-ohki, I would've gone insane without you."

_Three years earlier…_

"So if Ryoko's not on Earth, and if she's not on Jurai, then where in heaven or hell is she?"

"Chaa, chaow!"

"Let's ask your girlfriend for directions," said Nagi with a smirk. Ken-ohki

objected with a small growl, which made Nagi laugh only more. "Well, she'd know, wouldn't she? I was just kidding. I guess we'll stop on by the usual place. You know the way, pal." Ken-ohki mewed and whirled into a half-spiral as he ascended through space towards the planet Varda, where his mistress and partner usually got her information. It was only thirty minutes away at top speed. Nagi was always grateful to own a rare cabbit instead of the usually clunky starship, because although the ships had a small advantage in terms of speed and space, the cabbits were more durable and they made docking easy. Nagi had saved thousands on fees by adopting Ken-ohki in her teenage years.

Varda was as crazy as it had always been for the past few centuries, and nothing and nobody would change it. Nagi and Ken-ohki found themselves sinking down into the pit of the slums, towards their favorite dock.

A hapless manager, weary stiff from working such a monotonous job, looked up in the sky and grumbled as he saw yet another wild spacer coming in for a landing. His lips twitched in annoyance as the spacer's ship landed, spat out its sole pilot, and transformed rather fluidly into a cat-rabbit creature with a fondness for carrots. Ever sly, Nagi gave the apathetic man a catty smirk.

"Make sure he doesn't get scratched," she told him. He sighed.

"Morning, Nagi. What'cha in for this time?"

"Getting plastered and well-educated. My trail got cold.

"Well, you know where you can warm it up again," he said numbly. The man

resumed reading his papers as Nagi left without a word.

…………

"Morning, Travis."

"Hey, Nagi! I ain't seen you in this part since you caught the McKellson brothers! What brings ya here!" The merry bartender—well, merry since he noticed the familiar patron coming into his part—waved enthusiastically as both Nagi and Ken-ohki came in. A few other drunks turned round and saw her walk past them, just as she had every so often. After the day she threw a lecherous blob straight through the bar's window, nobody had dared make a pass at her.

"I need booze and books," she told him as she approached and sat directly across from him. The tender smiled knowingly and made her favorite, a Sudden Death.

"The usual?"

"Al Zhar Product, if you will."

"Oh! You usually don't come in here for books if you're loaded! What, you on a fanatical trail?"

"Cold," she stated, "at least for now. The last time I saw her was around Jurai during the insurrection." The tender whistled, kept the Sudden Death around, and carefully poured one of the most expensive wines in the whole planet, the Al Zhar Product.

"That was a whole year ago! Jeez… Then you must've saved your money from the McKellsons!"

"Not any more than I needed," she shrugged. A tall wine glass slid in front of her, holding with tender care the purple fluid most revered. Nagi inhaled the dizzying aroma with great deliberation and sighed in contentment. "Ah, perfect. You've outdone yourself, Travis."

"Thanks. So what do you need? I've got an excellent selection today. Lots of people apparently can't keep their mouths shut. You do realize that I'll have to charge you, right?" Nagi smiled lovingly and laid a heap of fresh Jurai bills on the bar, as thick as three of her fingers. The tender swallowed and stared at the pile.

"I pity whoever you're going after. Let me guess: Ryoko?"

"Oh yeah. So?" Travis beamed and tucked the entire wad of cash into his jacket.

"You know, Nagi, most people will tell you she's dead. I mean, nobody's seen sight of her or Ryo-ohki since a year ago, and I've had GP officers in here. It's like she just vanished."

"But you're not 'most people'," she noted as she clutched the wine glass. She placed her lips into the drink, barely getting them wet. A trace of the wine stayed and was quietly sucked into her mouth, and the tingly pleasure of an Al Zhar Product sent her mind whirling with joy. Too bad there were only 10,000 bottles of the stuff in existence.

"Nope," chuckled the tender. "If I were, I wouldn't have taken that money. Here, I think you'll find this a good read." Travis dipped his hand into his shirt pocket, opposite the one he stored his new payment in, and pulled out a sheet of paper. He passed it to Nagi who took it and read it quickly. There were only coordinates on it, yet…

"Andromeda… Milky Way… Jeez, I didn't think she was that stupid. But maybe something attracted her back to that planet, even though she knew I know where it is. Probably that boy I saw her with. I guess my old information was wrong after all."

"Nagi, you know something about that place?" She nodded.

"Yeah, I've been by there before. It's a ways away from Jurai, but the princesses stayed there for a few months, along with two GP, the true Yosho, and even Washu, if you can believe it."

"I don't think I can!" he coughed. "And Ryoko?" Nagi nodded, making Travis whistle in amazement. "All on the same planet?"

"The same _house_," she corrected. Travis visibly turned pale.

"Oh, good heavens! You'd think there'd be nothing left of the place with all those people there! What's the planet called?"

"The official name in Jurai's archives is Terra, or Sol 3, but the natives call it Earth."

"Earth, huh? You going there?" Nagi frowned heavily in thought, and stared down at her barely-touched drink. Would she really go back? Would she risk losing Ryoko because of… or would she just go, be ruthless, and take her by force? Nagi took the entire glass of wine, took a sip, and growled in satisfaction.

"No… I'm not."

"Huh? Why not? Weren't you looking for Ryoko?"

"Yeah, but… I have my reasons."

"And I guess they're none of my business," he murmured. Nagi gave him a smirk and allowed herself the pleasure of another tiny sip. Good. That was very good. "So," he said quietly, "what are you going to do now?" Nagi looked up into his eyes, gave him a very warm grin, and slipped out a single Jurai bill from her coat. She put it on the counter and kept her teeth bared in happiness. Travis laughed.

"Ah, I see. Well, let me see what I have in store for you…"

…………

She had never been to Rido, but it wasn't like she was in for a shock. Being so close to Jurai, it was advanced enough to have, basically, anything she wished for in visible sight, and the alien feel one usually got when first landing on a planet they had never been to was not there. It was just another part of the "low hierarchy", a place far down on the rung of society, but society nonetheless. It was almost a mid-class planet, but being close to Jurai saved it. Countless eons old, it had been much more important and powerful back in the ancient days, when the royal family first took to the stars.

Now, though, it was a _dump_, and that was saying it politely. Nagi cringed when she left the spaceport, Ken-ohki perched on her shoulder and her hood covering all but her patient scowl. First impressions aside, the place reeked and it was polluted, both by waste and dreg; the people there were sometimes no better than the smog or litter they tossed around. Nagi was looking for a little needle called Brandt, and in this one particular haystack, a man in his position had too many resources, too many places to hide, and too many friends to keep him safe.

Nagi didn't want to bother learning an entire language just so she could catch a guy, regardless of how high the reward was, and since she didn't think she'd be back, least not for a few years, she just rented an Auto-Translator device and hooked it to her jaw, chin, and ear. The Auto-Translator, the AT, had been developed long ago by a predecessor of Washu, and though it looked silly when worn, it provided a perfect interpretation of any of the millions of registered languages in the galaxy, both heard and spoken, so not only could Nagi listen with ease, but she could speak as well. On the other hand, they cost a fortune, so it was usually better to rent one for a week.

With the AT on, Nagi patrolled the streets. On and off for the past three years, she had been meaning to come to Rido and catch Brandt, mostly because after Ryoko, he seemed the most likely to give her a challenge and line her pockets. Things had kept coming up, though, such as the incident on Fyern where she and a crew of freelancers had fought a small war, or the trouble on Antioch 5 where she had been bought as a bodyguard. A695-OP4G, a planet known only by its number, had an infestation of thugs that Nagi was hired to clear out, and she did not, _could_ not refuse taking a shot at Thunder-Claw on Meta Don Fall. That had ended well for her, but Rido and Brandt were her ultimate goals.

Never once stepping on Rido had advantages and disadvantages. Nagi didn't know where to go for information, but nobody recognized her at first unless she gave identification (naturally, being so close to the galactic hub, many Ridoans had heard of her exploits and either feared her or liked her). She scoured the planet for a day in search of somebody who could inform her about Brandt, and wasted a night in a bar and a bad hotel. Nagi felt lonely that night, something that had been coming up more and more. Loneliness—of all things! But that could be remedied, so she hired a good male prostitute and spent her night in pleasure.

_Two years and eight months earlier…_

Brandt! What were the odds! Nagi knew that name from long ago—hadn't he caused a riot that ended in the destruction of an entire planet? Wasn't he the one who hijacked that asteroid and sent it crashing on the third moon of Togua? He had certainly killed enough important people, and he had stolen a book of immense historical value to the good people of Ren-Charii, so of course, he was on the run—and middle-aged to boot! A lifetime of mischief and wickedness, and he was still going strong though turning forty. He was nearly as infamous as Ryoko; Nagi had wanted to go after him for ages.

The coordinates Travis had given her—the second set, rather—indicated Rido as his ultimate hideout. Nagi wanted to go there right away, but Ken-ohki was starving and so was she, and groceries had ran out a day ago. She grumbled along with her stomach, but her body needed energy and Ken-ohki could get awfully grumpy when left unfed. He streaked across the black heavens and descended down into a nondescript world, someplace called Fyern. It had civilization, at least equal to that of Earth's, so surely somebody would honor her Jurai credits.

As it turned out, Fyern was in the middle of a small war. Nagi had entered close to a battle zone and cursed her luck for it. Somebody spotted her and opened fire—bad idea. Nagi was never one for merriment, and depending on how sour a mood she was in, one could only hope for mercy if they agitated her. The poor fool never had a chance, but his comrade was at least smart enough not to attack her. He gaped as Nagi stood over the ruins of his one-time friend.

"I need to pick up some groceries," she said flatly, callous to the disaster she had caused. "Tell me where I can find them." She cursed wildly as he fainted. Fool. Nagi made herself invisible and went into hiding before more trigger-happy heroes shot her, and slipped with remarkable speed out of the battle zone. Civilization was very far away, of course, but Ken-ohki was exhausted and so was she. Sleep would not come easy, nor would it lessen her hunger, but it was better than walking aimlessly. She found a place underneath a tree and curled up for a little nap.

Unfortunately, when she woke up, Nagi was surrounded by guns. She regarded them with a yawn.

"What's up?" she asked wearily. One of the men surrounding her walked up and gave her a little poke with the butt of his rifle. She waved him away, too weary to retaliate.

"Jut-jut con du?" he said, sounding inquisitive. Nagi snorted and called out to him as loud as she could.

"I DO NOT SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE. I NEED AN AT. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? _AT_?"

"Aee… tee? Oh! Jurai?"

"You could say that," she murmured, her head in a daze. That nap had done more harm than good, apparently. The man stuck his hand out, helped her to a feet, and loaned her the translator she asked for. Nagi took a second to hook it up and gave them all a reasonably polite stare.

"Thanks. So, good day for a battle, huh?"

"No sass, woman!" shouted the man who helped her. _Nice_. "Who are you? What are you doing here? Was it you who killed Fredigar?"

"I guess," she answered lamely. "The name's Nagi, maybe you've heard of it. I just came here because I figured a planet this advanced would have some food. I'm out, and I'm going to Rido."

"N…_Nagi_!" Their reaction didn't surprise her at all, but it didn't flatter her either. She could barely stand, let alone blush out of humility. "Look, can I _have_ some food or not?" she barked—but the men ignored her. Rather, they huddled together in a circle and murmured to themselves, probably wondering what they could do about the new menace in town. Nagi crossed her arms and frowned. She would've mutilated a few of them if she weren't so hungry and tired. The men seemed to come to a conclusion eventually, and turned back to her with big, conniving smiles.

"We can help you," said the guy she assumed was the leader or spokesman, "but we'd like for you to help us first. You know, give us something and we'll give you something." Nagi closed her eyes and crossed her arms, not surprised or annoyed, just bothered.

"I had a feeling you'd say that."

Thus, her involvement in the war on Fyern.

She spent two nights with the leader in fits of false passion. She left with a full load and never came back.

…………

If anything, Rido was more pleasant in the morning, but not on that day; it was raining. Nagi woke up naked and alone, practically bathed in sweat. That prostitute had been worth his payment, but he was gone and his sweet smell did not linger in the foul air. She woke up quickly and showered, then went outside because she could not stand the place. The morning was dark, cold, and wet, and it suited her ill mood fine. Ken-ohki crawled back up to her shoulder and nuzzled her, but she dismissed his affection and started to walk. Hungry. Nagi was very, very hungry. Too bad Rido wasn't applauded for its cuisine.

After eating what tasted like sautéed cardboard in month-old mushroom sauce, Nagi left and resumed her hunt. She had learned several new things about old Brandt since arriving the other day: he had been on and off Rido for years, but came back due to its lackluster police force and seedy reputation. Here, any man of low standing could find crime and vice; here, Brandt called home, and here was where he still resided. He had not retired.

Word on the street was that Brandt, or a man working for him, was overseeing the shipment of illegal arms to several anonymous parties. Nagi found a bored GP officer and extracted as much information from him as possible, then asked if he was willing to help her. The man seemed more likely to throw Nagi in jail than Brandt, so she shirked away and went solo. Too bad; she had always wanted to work with a GP. They could be so cute sometimes with their high morals and pride.

Nagi found a more willing GP officer later that day, after having successfully gleaned a few tips from a crowd of ugly brutes. She had to beat a few, and cut off a few ears and fingers before they really started talking, but in general she was told that a man named Sent was overseeing the shipment, that Brandt was only there in name, and he was doing something over on the next continent, probably waiting for the arms to arrive. She thanked the pug-man by sparing his life, and left him to bleed and whimper softly. She informed the new GP, a boyishly handsome dark-skinned young man clearly still trying out his luck and his legs. Nagi had never been in love but she knew she would bed him before the adventure was over.

They made passionate love that night. He told her he was in love. Yeah, right.

The fool tripped over himself in the morning (So, Nagi thought to herself, that's what it's like to sleep with a GP. Well!). He wanted to shower with her, he wanted to rub her feet, he wanted to snuggle, to serve her breakfast, to comb her hair. She swatted at him, sometimes making actual contact, and asked him to leave her alone. The best he could do would be to help her with this case, forget about her, and marry someone more worthy of his administrations. He kissed her and told her he was in love. Nagi knew better than to believe a cop.

"Cassius," she said as she put her hood over her head and walked out the door, "if you're going to act like this all day, I'll get you so lost in this city, you won't know which way is left and which is right. Now come on, I'm getting impatient, and you're a _cop_. Catching these guys, Sent and Brandt, should be your top priority, not fawning over me."

"But Nagi-honey…"

"Don't call me that," she moaned wearily. "Now come on. Your uniform's lopsided."

She helped him fix it. He blushed and tried to kiss her again. She turned her back on him. Never fall in love, least of all with his type, because you will survive better on one-night stands than romances. Yeah, that's what she had told herself, long ago, when she was foolish enough to tempt fate.

_Two years and one month earlier…_

The poor girl was so worried that somebody would kill her, she hired Nagi before even realizing who the woman was. Nagi had been a bodyguard before, among other things to get by, but never for somebody so important, so pretty, so… _infantile_. Princess Antioch, direct in descent from the people who had first claimed the planet in their own name, was every bit as simpering, spoiled, stupid and silly as Nagi knew most princesses were. They all exhibited those traits, some more than others, except for a tiny minority that were real, that were true, that had died or else were too young to know better.

"You have to be with me _everywhere_," she nearly screamed, her voice hoarse. "Everywhere! If you leave my side for even one second, all those assassins will have themselves a target! I won't feel safe unless I can have a bodyguard around."

"What about your others?" Nagi asked. "Don't you have any other bodyguards? Ones that aren't itinerate?"

"No, they're all dead or listed as traitors. None of them are around anymore." Nagi grunted to herself.

"That's all I needed…"

"So you _will_ do it, right? You will, you will, won't you? The royal line will end with me if you don't—oh, please say yes, and I shall pay you handsomely every day!" Nagi perked up at the mention of _handsome pay_, and even though "Princess Poo" (rather, Porce Lamalstar Antioch 3rd) was troublesome and irritating, as long as the credits kept rolling in, Nagi would've babysat Ryoko herself.

"How much are we talking about?"

"Twenty Antioch a day, plus room and board with all the food you care to eat." Not bad, not bad; Nagi had been given worse by better people. The royal brat must've been terribly desperate, because a single Antioch, after exchanged in certain places, would've made most people rich. The allure of a good bed and food sweetened the deal, so Nagi accepted against her better judgment. It made her feel like a whore, though, regardless of compensation—and the Princess _hugged_ her afterward.

"Oh, thankyou thankyou thankyou _thank_you!"

…………

Nagi shuddered as the memory came back to her. The dear princess was dead by now, though by no fault of hers; she had died in a simple, cruel transport accident, of all things. Nagi had worked for her for an entire year, enduring her sweet hostility and her scathing naiveté, until at last she could stand no more—but of course, she would, and did, and found the princess oddly charming after the year. The people threatening her disappeared, died, or were exiled one after the other, until all or nearly all of Antioch's enemies were gone and she had reason to trust in her safety again.

By that time, she and Nagi had become lovers. Nagi had bedded women before, but never a princess, never a brat like this, never one so abysmal and sweet, beautiful and helpless, dear and precious and more wonderful than the sweet air of the forgotten world she was born on…

"Hey, you okay?" asked Cassius. Nagi took a ragged breath and scowled as she realized she had been crying. She threw him a nasty curse and dragged her arm over her face—and then apologized.

"Yeah, just bad memories, that's all," she told him. Or rather, good memories that would never be relived again. Lost, all gone, dead—never to come back. Memories were nice sometimes, but to lean against them was to fall, and to believe such happy times would ever come back again…

She had died two months after Nagi left her, even though she pleaded for her to stay, forever, and live with her. But Nagi knew better than to fall in love, especially with someone like her, and parted for other ventures, other hunts, other dead end streets. She could not blame herself for the accident, but still… perhaps it was not the crash that killed dear Princess Antioch, but a broken heart.

Of course, if that were so, there were at least fifteen men in the galaxy that should've been in the grave long ago. And Cassius would join them, right after he helped her capture Brandt.

The security around Sent's operation was so tight, it was a wonder if air itself could get through. Nagi cursed quietly as she looked at the opposition: snipers everywhere, plus at least fifty visible guards, not counting the loaders who had the weapons, or Sent's personal guard of ten strong mercenaries, or even Sent himself, who could probably fight up to four GP officers alone. Nagi had just herself, Cassius, and Ken-ohki, whom she always counted, but it would not be enough. It was bad fortune and not bad timing against them; never before had the opportunity been better to stop these people.

"Do you have a plan?" asked Cassius nervously. Nagi kept her back turned to him as she examined the large force, just half a kilo away. If she had more time to plan, she could make a feasible strategy that involved herself and her cabbit picking off little bits of the security at a time, but of course she only had an hour before the window closed. She shook her head.

"I hate to say this, but we'll need help. Contact headquarters here on Rido and tell them exactly where we are. That's all we can hope for. If the GP don't arrive, we'll have to try and hit Brandt himself, but he'll be even harder. Go on." Cassius fumbled for his cellular phone and nervously punched in the numbers. He reached his superior officer, and without mentioning Nagi's name (as she requested), he told him what was going on and where they were. The call ended soon, too soon Nagi feared, with Cassius putting his phone away and giving his "beloved" a watery smile.

"He says he'll see what he can do." She rolled her eyes.

"_Great_."

_One year and five months earlier…_

The planet A695-OP4G was so nondescript and out of the way—in other words, insignificant as far as Jurai was concerned—that it only had a serial number to classify it, not an actual name. There were no natives to give it any either, mostly because the land was desolate and bare, freezing at night and burning during the long days. The planet would've been ignored by civilization for all of time, in fact, if it were not for the valuable deposits of HG45 that stuffed the world's innards. Colonies had been erected almost as soon as explorers discovered the vast reservoirs of material, and in no time life sprang up and mining began (HG45 was used as very powerful fuel, and was rare to come by).

"Opie", as the planet was nicknamed, also became home to various criminal organizations who naturally wanted the precious resource to themselves, and soon territorial battles were waged between the miners, the syndicates, and the occasional police force hired to scour the area. Crime outnumbered crime-fighters, though, and soon every mercenary and bounty hunter available was sent in to help alleviate the trouble. Some of the more questionable folk turned tables and went after the HG45, while some continued to fight for what was "good", at least in Jurai's eyes.

Nagi was one of the ones hired for the job. She fought for Jurai, for the miners, even though many on the opposing side had once been friends and even one-time lovers. She did not particularly care for Jurai or its new toy, nor was she exactly admired by its higher-ups. A throbbing sense of justice didn't go through her body, and the people on "her" side were no better or worse than those on the other. She had lovers on both ends during the fight; she made love to bitter enemies and new allies. Nagi had no glorious purpose for fighting on the side that ultimately won; she just did it because they paid her better.

And, of course, revenge. Galanar Hax had to pay for what he did to her. Retribution came to him swift and early, but not before one last round in bed.

…………

The GP arrived in thirty minutes, but not nearly in the force Nagi had expected. Four squad cars came, along with an aerial assault vehicles, but she knew they could've spared a whole lot more than that. The superior officer of the whole group stepped out of one of the cars as the rest of the force went after Sent and his entourage. Cassius snapped a fearful salute and stood straight as a pole before Captain Sheila Lon, who returned his greeting and clasped her hands behind her back.

"Cassius," she addressed curtly, her voice high and feminine. "Tell me briefly, how did you come about this operation?"

"Um, I… I had help."

"In what form?" It was no use lying to his Captain, even though Nagi had not wanted her name revealed. He tried to improvise instead.

"Um… I overheard a bounty hunter—"

"I helped him," Nagi said, waving to the cop. Captain Lon recognized her instantly and gave a sharp frown.

"Cassius, you shame me! I never figured you for the type to be an ally to bounty hunters, much less _her_."

"Oh, you know her?" Lon rolled her eyes and grunted.

"Everyone knows Nagi, Cassius. I'm surprised you don't. You should really try and educate yourself more concerning the other side of the law."

"But she's not _bad_."

"And she's not good either," snorted Lon, crossing her arms. "You deserve better anyway. She'll betray you if she gets the chance." Cassius gave both women a disbelieving look, but it was Nagi who confirmed it.

"She's right, you know. I'm not to be trusted. I'll leave once I have Sent and Brandt, Captain, so until then I'll try to stay out of sight." Captain Lon frowned, growling with loathing towards the bounty hunter, and clenched her fist. Through grinding teeth, she made a low noise.

"You know where you can claim your money, Miss Nagi. I thank you for finding these criminals, but the sooner you leave, the better."

"In more ways than one," agreed Nagi. Lon's reaction had not offended her in the least; in fact, she was used to it. Respect ran with fear and hate in her line of work just as clouds ran with rain and wind. She and the Captain parted without words, which was quite a good thing actually, but Cassius remained. Nagi tried throwing him away and nearly begged him (angrily) to join his commanding officer.

"She's more your type," she told him offhand as she edged closer to the fight. "It's clear she likes and cares for you. You'd be much better off with a nice woman like that. She's the kind that'll stick by you no matter what, but I'll leave once I get my bounty." Poor Cassius looked confused.

"Why are you saying this to me?"

"Ah, forget it. I'm going in after Sent. You can cover me if you want." He smiled, though she could care less, and ran aside her with blaster held close, ready to fire and defend his lady love. Off in the distance, Lon watched the two and chewed on her lip. She hated seeing a good officer waste himself on a bounty hunter. He deserved better than her—heck, he deserved better than Lon herself, and she knew it! If only the poor guy could get his act together and keep his mind on his work, he'd end up giving her the orders!

"If you don't take care of him," she warned Nagi in a low voice, though the other woman was far away in a battle, "I will personally make you suffer." She took a deep breath, kissed her badge and her gun for good luck, and ran in to her duty. Bodyguards fell one by one with her precise shots; the tough mercenaries stumbled, cowered, and fell in Nagi's presence; Sent himself fought her hand-to-hand, Cassius to the side taking shots against anyone who came too close. He was Nagi's guardian angel, and Sheila Lon was his.

With their combined efforts, and a little help from Ken-ohki (he smothered Sent's face by jumping right onto it), the security force fell, arrests were made, and Brandt's partner in crime was put away, although his whole nose had been crushed by Nagi's fist. Nagi sustained a small wound on her leg; Cassius had been shot twice defending her, and Captain Lon had broken her wrist. It was still a victory, though, and as soon as Nagi figured out where those deliveries were supposed to be headed, she would go after the big man himself.

_One year earlier…_

After the battle on Opie, Nagi thought she was finally ready for Rido and Brandt, but fate had other plans for her. She came across something once while lounging around in a spa, watching the news. The name of Thunder-Claw popped up, jerking her away from her relaxing bath. She stood up, naked from head to toe and dripping, as the news recounted the latest information concerning what they called "the super-villain". It was a silly exaggeration, but not far from the truth: Thunder-Claw was just as bad as Ryoko, if not worse, and had been on the top of the Galactic Most-Wanted list for years. The only reason Ryoko was not currently public enemy number one was because of him (and maybe due to her help in the Kagato insurrection). Nagi shivered with excitement as the newsflash ended.

Thunder-Claw was on Meta Don Fall. It was not far from her location, somewhere in the next system over. Of course she would go after him, but she didn't know if she could do it alone. Thunder-Claw had fought up to seven mercenaries by himself, some of whom had given Nagi problems before. Ryoko stayed away from him, Jurai sent only its best after him; he was still at large despite the massive police campaign launched against him three years before. As far as she knew, Nagi was the best bounty hunter alive, but going after Thunder-Claw would take more than what she could give.

She had worked with partners before—sometimes those partners became lovers, or enemies, or both—but among the small list of people she actually trusted to help her, none were strong enough, brave enough, desperate enough, or even _alive_ enough to help. She actually tried calling some of them, but one thing or another kept them from coming (usually it was spite or fear). Nagi realized she would have to go solo, but resigned herself to her fate and retired from her vacation early. She was back in her ship and passing through the stars in no time.

Meta Don Fall—it greeted her before she could finish eating a snack. It was similar to Jurai in size, but obviously poorer in economics and technology, though by no means weak in the fields (only when compared to Jurai, but most planets were). It was the fourth of seven habitable planets in the Meff system, named after the three explorers who had civilized it back in olden times. Nagi could feel her heart race as Ken-ohki edged closer and mewed, for the 15th time, if she really wanted to go through with this.

"Of course," she answered, matter-of-fact. "You don't get an opportunity like this every day. Rido can wait, just like it's waited these past two years. Just think of this as another part of my training, and I'll be all the stronger for Brandt. Land, would you?"

"Chaoww!" Ken-ohki obeyed, and while Nagi waited for planetary arrival, she began to think. The news had said that Thunder-Claw was here; obviously, the man was comfortable with people knowing his location. His reputation for malice preceded him and guaranteed him safety from all but the worthiest of foes, and his own abilities took over after that. He didn't seem to mind being hunted, because after all, why go looking for prey when it jumps right on your doorstep?

Nagi vowed she would not end up a statistic as she stepped off her ship, waited for her partner to board her shoulder, and took her first steps on Meta Don Fall's soil.

Nothing happened.

If Thunder-Claw was expecting her, or anybody, he certainly didn't show it. Nagi knew better to assume and decided discretion would be the better part of valor, and slipped into the closest town before evening. She found a hotel and rested there, and did not feel particularly lonely. The night went without event, but breakfast was a different matter. As Nagi went to the hotel's lobby for food and a paper, she spotted a headline that suddenly made her rethink the whole hunt. The paper read, "It's War! Space Pirate Ryoko Challenges Thunder-Claw to a Battle!"

Ryoko here, on Meta Don Fall? The odds were so astronomical, they were silly. Of all places, of all times—of all _people_! Ryoko! As if Nagi didn't have enough to worry, or to be pleased about. Ryoko, eh? Perhaps she could hit two birds with one stone (she reasoned with a feral grin), but the part about Ryoko fighting Thunder-Claw kept her interest longer.

One of her instructors had always said to her that "the enemy of an enemy can often be the truest of friends", and Nagi _did_ need help. Teaming up with Ryoko went against everything she fought for and knew, but who else could've helped her to stand up against old TC? As implausible as it sounded, after going over it several times (with juice, coffee, a muffin and ham), Nagi had to admit that logically, it would be the best solution. And maybe she could find things about Ryoko that otherwise she would never learn.

Of course, that meant that she would have to _find_ the space pirate. Déjà vu struck her as she stood up, dressed, and harkened back to the good old days, only on a smaller and more righteous scale. She started by going outside, led by Ken-ohki's boundless love for Ryo-ohki.

…………

She didn't know whether to feel happy or sad that Cassius was too wounded to join her. On the one hand, she had gotten slightly attached to the well-meaning young man, and had to admire his tenacity. The attention he gave her was nice, albeit misdirected. On the other hand, with him out of commission, he would be out of the worst of the fights and thus, out of Nagi's hair. He could not annoy her if he were recovering. Captain Lon, however, was not too injured to fight, and so even though she didn't trust Nagi, she did agree to go with her and help apprehend Brandt. Cassius wanted to go even more, of course, but was denied the right. Nagi and Sheila left just as soon as both their wounds had healed.

Once again, Nagi found herself with an unlikely partner, and once again, she found herself liking said partner quite a lot. Being with Ryoko had been one thing; being with a GP officer was another. With Ryoko, there had been intense friction, mistrust, name-calling, and yet unusual ability to get along, fight on equal terms, and an unmistakable sense of camaraderie. With Sheila, Nagi knew how well police officers liked and trusted bounty hunters (that is, not at all), and Lon had already demonstrated a fraction of her feelings. Yet Nagi was already liking her because she was strong, capable, and she always had good focus, like any other fine GP officer out there.

Sheila first led Nagi into the prison where Sent's guards and allies were held. She wanted to conduct an interrogation, and even though she didn't like Nagi (yet), she knew the hunter could easily extract anything if given a proper amount of elbow room. Lon first led her into a cell where several of Sent's closest had been kept, and ignored the jeers and wolf whistles. Nagi cracked her knuckles, silencing all but the toughest. Her lion's smirk shut everyone's mouths.

"All right," she began evenly, "who wants to be the first to volunteer some information? Huh? I'll tell you what: you talk, and I don't punch your teeth out one by one. The offer expires by the time I count to ten. One, two, three…" She counted quickly on purpose, hoping that some jerk would refuse and be her "real" demonstration. A few squeaked immediately, dimming her hopes, and yammered about everything they knew. Some of the tougher ones silenced them with rough blows or words; these, Nagi decked.

"Well, that shows you I'm not bluffing," she murmured, rubbing her sore hand. The other guys had been hurt worse, though. "Don't confuse me with that GP lady over there, now—I don't care about your well-being or the possibility of a reformation. You could die and I'd sleep with a smile. Your lives don't mean the dust on the floor to me, but I might be inclined to think otherwise if I get what I want. If not, I start mutilating. Well? Oh, this _new_ offer expires when I count to five. One-two-three-four…"

Nagi had to strike three more people before she and Captain Lon learned everything they ever wanted to know about Brandt and his organization—and they weren't even afraid to ask.

He was waiting a few countries over with a smaller but stronger entourage, and was not the kind of person to be made waiting long. Nagi promised the criminals, she would never do anything like that.

_Eleven months, three weeks, and one day earlier…_

It surprised Nagi how quickly she had found Ryoko. It even struck her as ironic. The space pirate was making a scene in one of the cities, flying or shooting or holding somebody hostage, probably (she was not getting good service, suffice to say), and since word spread quickly on that or any planet, Nagi was able to find the city and, with Ken-ohki's heart as her guide, Ryoko to boot. She stayed hidden once she found her prey and rival, waiting for just the right time to make her grand entrance. It just wasn't her style to appear randomly and say _hello_. She required flair.

The time seemed ripe when the GP arrived and chased Ryoko away. Laughing and cursing, with Ryo-ohki bouncing ahead of her, the infamous woman dashed away from the scene and headed straight in Nagi's direction. Ryo-ohki suddenly began to squeal once they came close—she sensed the presence of somebody very dear and familiar—and when Ryoko turned round a corner and skidded to a halt, she found out just who. Nagi greeted her with a flashy grin.

"YOU!"

"Yeah, it's me." Nagi hid her teeth but kept her smile, noticing just how shocked her prey was to see her there.

"And just what are you doing here, Nagi? Come to fight me, I bet!"

"Not really," she gestured coolly. "Actually, Ryoko, we're after the same thing here, believe it or not. Our mutual friend Thunder-Claw has gotten our attention, and since we're both after the same guy—"

"Oh, no!" she interjected. "I know what you're about to say, and it's not about to happen! You think I'll team up with _you_ just because we're going after somebody? Ha! That's not your style, Nagi—you're slipping! Any other day, you'd turn this into a contest to see who could capture the bad guy first!"

"Guilty as charged," she admitted. "But that's not my ulterior motive today. I'm not so proud that I can't admit when I need help, and since you're the only person who's ever given me a challenge before…"

"Oh!" Ryoko laughed out loud, shrieking so much that people could hear her from the other side of the street. "Haha! This is too rich! Well," she purred, "I never thought I'd hear _Nagi_ say she can't do something—and asking me for help! This just made my day!" Nagi sneered and glared at the pirate, clearly offended.

"Look, if you don't want to help, just say so. I could probably manage on my own; I just thought it'd be a waste of time squandering our resources. Besides, I don't want you _dead_ before I get my shot at you. So whaddya say, you in?" Ryoko gave her a smug look, still elated over what she had heard, and rested her hands on her head.

"I'll think about it."

………

It took Nagi and Captain Lon a day by chopper and boat to reach the next continent, where Brandt awaited his shipment of contraband weapons. During that time, the two unlikely partners said very little to each other, and in fact were rarely together unless by necessity. Nagi was not the type to spontaneously strike up a conversation, and Sheila just basically did not like bounty hunters at all. She believed the law should be in the hands of the law-enforcers, not those who bent it to their whims. And Nagi in particular earned her distrust, but necessity made odd bedfellows.

_Partners_. Necessity made odd _partners_. She did not want to think of Nagi as a… _bedfellow_.

"You think we can take his entourage by ourselves?" Nagi had asked her one late hour. It was one of the few things they talked about, and since it was business, Sheila opened up for a little while.

"No, I don't. Not realistically. But if we ask for reinforcements, Brandt will be able to tell. You're going to be a liability; that face of yours is easily recognizable. Can you work in disguise?"

"Yeah. Whaddya have in mind?"

"Just your cloak will do. We'll have to sneak in and whittle his forces down. For a worst-case scenario, he'll have all his guards in one place, around him, and plenty of hidden ones ready to snipe out intruders. With reinforcements, we were barely able to catch his subordinate, so just consider what the two of us could do against him."

"You don't have anything to worry about," assured Nagi. "I held back a little back there against Sent. I didn't want Cassius hurt, poor fool. I know he meant well, but he got hurt for his recklessness. Now that I only have you and me to worry about, I can let loose and show some real style."

"You're worried about me? I don't believe you."

"Only on account of your friend. He's in love with me, you know. Heh… don't worry, I'm not going to reciprocate. He'd be better off with you." Sheila blushed, clearly even in the fading light, and took a few steps away as if to further hide herself.

"That… is none of your business."

"It is if he's going to follow me around like a dog. I gotta take care of you so you two can live together happily." Sheila snorted in offense, and stomped away after she gave the hunter a piece of her mind.

"You just don't know when to be quiet, do you!" Nagi shook her head and murmured to herself.

"I've been quiet the whole trip."

_Eleven months and three weeks earlier…_

Ryoko began the next phase of her relationship with Nagi with three words.

"Okay, I'm in." And Nagi used only one.

"Splendid."

"So what made you change your mind?" Nagi and Ryoko were well on their way, though neither one knew where to start looking—perhaps Thunder-Claw would find them, or lure them into a trap, or cruelly stay hidden and watch them run around like mice? Ryoko, having been on Meta Don Fall a bit longer, had an inclination, but that was it.

"Huh? Oh, well, you know, all the better to find your weaknesses. I figure if I hang around you, eventually you'll slip up and I'll be there to exploit every minute of it."

"Right. That's what I felt too." Ryoko gave her a look of indignity.

"Besides, it's better for both of us to get the reward money than just one, and I'm kinda low on funds."

"Yeah, hopping around the galaxy can do that to ya." Silence. There was tension, friction, and suspicion, of course, but as long as one woman remained civil, the other would too. Neither wanted to start a war, especially with a more dangerous foe around.

Ryoko led Nagi to where she believed Thunder-Claw was hiding, a mansion on a hill that overlooked the country ocean. It was a beautiful place and hardly fitting a terrible criminal; Nagi guessed it had been stolen. It was a shame that their next battle would take place there. Even Ryoko didn't want the place ruined.

"I guess we have no choice," murmured Nagi as she admired the scenery. Ryoko agreed and carefully followed her towards the estate. There would be defense systems everywhere, they knew, and it wasn't as if they could just knock on the front door. Ryoko formed something of a plan and told her partner quickly.

"Okay, listen up. One of us creates a diversion and draws out his forces while the other goes inside and flushes him out. We surround him and take him out."

"Sounds too basic to work," murmured Nagi, "but I'll give it a shot. You think you can handle the diversion?"

"Need you ask?" Nagi could feel the grin on her partner's face, so she hid herself and waited for the fireworks to start. Either one of them could carry the job, but Nagi knew how to stoke Ryoko's pride, and besides, it had been her idea. Ryoko started her business with an explosion, taking out something big and important in a ball of fire. She launched several shots against the mansion windows—what a waste of good architecture! Alarms sounded, soldiers crawled out, and hidden turrets sprouted from the ground and launched a small war against the single woman, giving Nagi easy access into the mansion. She darted inside and hid in the shadows, taking breaths and observations from her surroundings.

Nothing. Except for the noise outside, which drowned more and more the further she darted in, Nagi couldn't hear anything. She couln't see anything either, at least nothing out of the ordinary. The mansion was quiet, haunting, and lonely. She was experienced enough to realize that this trap was specifically designed for Ryoko's plan: keep half the team outside "distracting" security, and lure the other half in and smite them. She growled at her stupidity. Of all the…

"Hey, Thunder-Claw!" she shouted as loud as she could. "Look, I know this is a trap, so do us both a courtesy and come out here already! Don't hide in the shadows; you may as well come and kill me, if you can. What's the matter? Fight like a man!" Her voice echoed in the emptiness for a moment. Nothing happened. Nagi relaxed and loosened her tension. She tried calming her throbbing pulse and edged out of the shadows, into visible space. To Hell with security; better to get the whole deal over with quickly. She loved skulking around in the shadows but not when the trap was insultingly open. She sighed and started wandering aimlessly, calling out to her enemy. At least she could try to sound creepy.

"Oh Claw," she called, "where are you? Come out and _play_. I've come to _see_ you. What do you look like? What do you sound like? It would be a pleasure to unravel the mystery, even if I have to die for it. I'm not afraid to die, Claw—are you? Well, there really is only one way you can prove it, my dear prey. Come out and let me see your pretty little face."

Nagi's foot turned sharply and led her down a hallway. The noise outside either drowned or became silent; she could only hear her feet and the tick-tick of a clock. A carpet absorbed her sole. A door became her destination. Her hand reached and turned the knob. She poked her head into the darkness, flicked on the light, and gasped with surprise.

…………

This was Sheila's plan: first, Nagi and herself would hide on the ship and guide it to the port where Brandt was waiting for his stolen goods. He would expect Sent to come, but of course, would only get the police and the hunter. Sheila would have a single open shot, wherein she would take Brandt out; everything after that was stun, stun, stun, and hope her high marks in precision weren't just flukes. Nagi would have her way with the security, providing she didn't harm Brandt or cause too much havoc. Ken-ohki was to be aerial support in case things went south, and the ship had some rudimentary defenses on it if things really got bad. It wasn't the worst idea Nagi had heard (she recalled Ryoko's "plan" and the trouble it had gotten them into), so with her approval, she and Lon hid amongst the false cargo boxes and waited to dock. With the ship on autopilot, all they needed to do was wait for the right time to jump out. A few of the boxes were rigged with tear gas, and both Nagi and Sheila had masks. It was daring, but Nagi had to admit, it was also pretty fun.

……

She put her hands up, stoic. She closed her eyes and sighed, and allowed Thunder-Claw to frisk her. Truly, this was not her best day—first partnering with Ryoko, then making a novice mistake, and finally walking directly into the deadly aim of a rifle-blaster, type 6401 "Jagger" if she remembered correctly. Great. She had no choice to surrender; no way she could fight now. The Jagger was lethal on many levels, and Thunder-Claw was even worse. She hated going without a fight, but her life was more important than her pride. When he cupped her chin into his greasy, sandy hand, though, and leered at her in that perverse manner…

"Is it Nagira, or Naginata, or Nanette, or Nagisamila?" he asked, trying to guess her name. She bristled mutely. "One of those. It doesn't matter. I heard you calling, you know, so I wanted to greet you properly. I thought Miss Nagi-chan was a whole lot better than this, but taking the sluggish advice of your own enemy and then making all those foolish mistakes…?"

"Right, so nobody's perfect," she muttered. He slapped her fiercely, nearly flooring her.

"I didn't tell you to _talk_, wench! Now… get up." He kicked her in the ribs, and placed the muzzle of his gun right on her temple, freezing her. She gingerly stood, fraction by fraction, going so slow that it was painful. She coughed and glowered. He slapped her again, softer, and struck three more times. It was getting really irritating by now…

"Look, whatever you have in mind, just do it," she said, rubbing her face. He snarled but did not strike her, nor raise the weapon. The nasty look turned perverse again, and he grabbed her shoulders with a powerful, electric grasp. Nagi had an idea of what he was planning to do, and even if it killed her, she would never lose her honor to the psycho before her. She kneed him in the groin, but to her amazement, he didn't even flinch. Before swinging the butt of his rifle against her skull, he lifted his long shirt and pointed to the special robotics armor protecting his vitals: heart, neck, groin, stomach, even the forehead plate. And then darkness, because Nagi was still in shock and Thunder-Claw reasoned she had to pay for trying to handicap him.

……

"What the—"

The poor fool never knew what hit him.

Nagi quickly motioned for Sheila to put her mask on as one of the goons opened up the crates. Cloudy smog filled the whole ship, sending everyone into fits of hacking and wheezing, but Nagi and Sheila danced around them, knocking them out or overboard, overtaking the enemy as they leaped from vessel to port, facing a whole company of blasters and weapons. Sheila fired first and dove under cover; Nagi erected an energy shield and threw the only bomb she had at her disposal, a Luminous Flash. A bright sphere of light erupted, blinding everyone without proper eyewear. Nagi had brought special goggles for herself, but left Lon out in the dark—or rather, the light. She plowed her way through blind, stupid guards who could only shoot randomly, and knocked as many out as she could before the brief flash expired. Sheila saw stars and swore violently at Nagi (or her general direction), and kept her face guarded until the blinding rays died down, the fuzziness evaporated, and her vision restored.

Despite Nagi's irritating move, and her blurry vision, Sheila had to admit that the woman knew her stuff. Already she could count a dozen fallen, and that didn't even include the ones coughing on the boat. She quickly switched her blaster setting to Stun and wedged herself into a corner, taking potshots when she could. Nagi was nowhere to be seen, probably after Brandt, but the less Lon saw of her the better.

……

Nagi was unconscious as Thunder-Claw grabbed her, lifted her cloak off, and struggled with her clothes. Had she even a shred of her senses, she would've erupted up and torn the madman apart, perhaps into fourteen sections, maybe twelve, or twenty. But no, she was out and away, her head throbbing and bleeding from the wound, her eyes closed and dull. Thunder-Claw glared down at Nagi as he undressed her, relishing in the idea that soon, the galaxy's greatest bounty hunter would end up a rape statistic. Oh, what a delicious thrill! What a nasty blow to give her—perhaps he'd even leave her alive so she could go through long years wallowing in the shame! It was such a wonderful, wicked idea to him that he did not even notice the presence of another, nor the blow to his neck, nor even the crash of the ground as he fell.

When Nagi came to, she found herself looking up at the smug, smarmy, look-at-me-I-saved-my-enemy's-life face of Ryoko. She began to wish she had stayed out of it.

"Don't give me that look," she murmured painfully. "Is he dead?"

"No," answered the pirate playfully, "but in about two minutes, he'll wish he was."

"Try two _seconds_." Ryoko howled wildly as Thunder-Claw rose, slammed his fist into her face, and kicked Nagi so hard that she rolled across the floor. He fired off a shot, nearly striking her in the foot, and cursed mindlessly as he flayed both women with the butt of his gun. Just then, as if things couldn't get any worse, the room filled with Thunder-Claw's security, who had deliberately kept themselves out of the fight with Ryoko just so they could burst in and assure their master's health. Nagi cursed and gave her rival a nasty look.

"Well? _Now_ what?"

……

Sheila knelt by the last thug and hooked his arms together. She had counted fifteen as she went her rounds, fifteen beaten or paralyzed or in some kind of disorder, and fifteen now in shackles, bunched together and helpless, waiting for GP reinforcements to haul them away. She briefly wondered if she should stay behind and watch over those captured, or if it would be better to accompany Nagi and take out Brandt, who had fled. The life and decisions of a GP officer weren't easy, so she decided to stay until help arrived. After calling HQ, which had been five minutes ago, she called Cassius at the hospital to check up on him. The poor guy was more worried about Nagi than Sheila or even himself, which hurt Captain Lon's feelings. She had hoped he would ask how she was at least, which would've been good indication that he _cared_. But no, he had been ensnared by that dubious siren, who had professed quite publicly her plans to leave him. That hurt her even more—that the man she cared for, one of the few good, honest cops left in the precinct, had fallen for that unstable, deplorable woman in an instant. What did he _see_ in her anyway?

Sheila was distracted from her thoughts by the sound of approaching choppers. Had the GP responded so quickly, or did she get lost in her mind? Either way, as soon as she rendezvoused with her comrades, she would be off and after Nagi, giving the woman a hand if not a piece of her mind.

……

Nagi never imagined, not even once, that anyone took the phrase "a few tricks up their sleeve" literally, except magicians. But here she was, Ryoko the magnificent, stuffing her hand inside the long sleeve hugging her arm. One of the guards saw her and nearly opened fire, but she quickly jerked the hand back, grinned, and held both arms up high.

"See? Nothing. Go on, frisk me—I dare ya." Nagi rolled her eyes. She didn't mind dying, not even at the hands of a would-be rapist, but dying with Ryoko, much less Ryoko acting childish? She wished she could be killed under more civil circumstances. But she was not long for aggravation, because soon the whole mansion trembled, the earth jumped violently, and a massive sound of explosions—metal piercing through plaster, brick, marble, glass, and wood—ripped through the air and deafened all ears. An unmistakable "CHAOW!" rose up above the noise, and another "MIYAOW!" accompanied it. Ryo-ohki and Ken-ohki had come at the last possible, inconceivable moment, breaking right through the mansion from both sides like enormous galactic wrecking balls. Nagi was shocked and amazed; she never would've figured simply crashing through the whole place and bringing everything down. She had to give Ryoko credit: who else could summon cabbits by a simple hidden gesture? The "trick" up her sleeve proved worth the frustration, and in moments, the guards who had once stormed into the room fully armed were now surrendering and cowering. But who could blame them? No reasoning person wants to fight a fully-transformed cabbit spaceship, nor the pilots and owners along.

Thunder-Claw glared and fired off rounds, but it was in vain. He then tried to retreat, but an agonizing blast from Ken-ohki crashed into him, sending him to the floor in a burned, painful heap. Too bad he was still alive and conscious enough to feel the pain. Moments later, the foursome with their new cargo was jetting through space, leaving Meta Don Fall with dreams of riches in their heads—and never once did Nagi or Ryoko have a foul exchange of words or action. They split the winnings 50-50 and parted on amicable terms, swearing to meet again whenever circumstance dictated it.

It took Nagi eleven more months to reach Rido, but she figured the little delay was worth it.

…………

Sheila Lon had seen it before in movies: the classic stand-off between enemies, guns raised, temperature swelling, sweat trickling and muscles bending under the weight. Nagi was standing coolly inside a warehouse, her blaster pointed at the man she knew to be Brandt; he held his weapon with both hands, squarely aimed at Nagi's gut. Having seen so many of "those" movies, Sheila knew better than to interfere, and stood to the side as quietly as she dared. The two enemies stared at each other for seconds, minutes, what seemed like hours, waiting for the chance to strike or their opponent's next move. Sheila swallowed. She realized she had to go to the bathroom. Brandt made a grunting sound. Nagi stood cool and still as an obelisk.

BLAM! The eruption shocked Sheila and made her jump. Thud—Brandt fell to the floor, clutching his arm.

Nagi had blasted him in the shoulder, disabling him but not killing him. The reward posted for Brandt never specified the condition of the prey, but apparently the hunter was feeling gracious. As Brandt curled on the ground and groaned, his healthy arm inched towards his weapon—and was crushed under the weight of Nagi's foot. Her blaster found a home in his ear.

"Go ahead. Touch it. You know you want to. Aim it at me while you're at it. Touch it. Reach for it. I _want_ you to." Brandt clenched his eyes shut in defeat, but did not chance it. He simply curled back up into a ball, clutching his arm, and whimpered. Nagi sighed and kicked the weapon away, then focused on Lon. "Once I get my payment, he's all yours. You won't see me again after that day. You ought to go ahead and marry that guy so he knows how a _real_ woman works." Nagi gave an unemotional salute with her weapon, tucked it in its holster, and lifted Brandt up on her shoulders. She whistled for Ken-ohki, and vanished inside before Sheila had a chance to thank her. She wouldn't see the hunter again—Nagi left immediately after collecting her due—but she didn't feel glad about it. The look Nagi had given her was too disturbing.

In that fraction of an instant, Sheila Lon had seen volumes of pain in Nagi's face: the pain of a drifting hunter, the pain of never knowing love, or home, or friend, or even stability. Nagi fought on one side of the law or the other during her whole life; when she fought for Sheila's side, the officer had mistrusted her, doubted her, shot anger in her direction, but never bothered to wonder why she did it all. For money? Glory? A thrill? Because she knew no other way? Redemption? It could've been any reason, or all, or none; it was not her place to discover the truth about Nagi. She merely did her duty, and returned to Cassius, telling him his object of infatuation had left him, just as she had said. He didn't take it as hard as she believed; in fact, he looked a little relieved.

"A person like me can't keep her tied down," he said to Lon. "I realized that as I was recovering. She just used me for a little pleasure, a distraction from her dim life. I thought meeting her was the greatest day of my life, but now I'll look back on it in sorrow. Forgive me, Captain."

"I do." She smiled and took his hand, and made sure he was comfortable. In the whole history of their lives, both Cassius and Sheila—and everyone else that Nagi ever met—soon came to reason that the hunter's brief stay was just a single moment in the long course of mortality. Only one person would ever see Nagi as more than a "moment"—they were destined to meet, again and again, hunter and prey until death parted them.

_Three months later…_

"I know you're out there somewhere, Ryoko," Nagi spoke to the stars. She smiled warmly, more eager than ever to reunite with the only person who had been a constant in her life. "After all," she added, "how big can space really be?"

_THE END_


End file.
